Prepare for BBC Assessment Centre and Interview Questions

Have you been invited to a BBC assessment centre? The day can include a few challenging stages and knowing what to expect for each can be a huge advantage in such a competitive application. Let us here at JobTestPrep guide you through the process from beginning to end providing valuable tips and tricks along the way.

Excel Your Interview Skills

Get expert feedback on your interview performance with our smart and simple online service

Having got through the online BBC psychometric tests you will have an opportunity to shine at the BBC assessment centre. This article outlines all the activities that can take place during the assessment day, however pay close attention to your BBC recruitment correspondence to know exactly what you can expect.

The BBC Assessment Day includes:

The BBC Interview

This interview is given by two senior HR people at the BBC and lasts for about 45 minutes. This is a competency based interview and you will be expected to not only show that you are right for the job and have the skills to succeed, but also good enough by giving examples of how you have succeeded in using this skills in the past. Make sure that you have prepared answers for general questions and try to gear them as much as possible to the core competencies that the BBC is looking for. Structure your answers using the STAR method to make them most effective.

BBC Interview Questions

Here are some examples of common interview questions you can expect from the BBC:

Why do you want to work for the BBC?

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

What do you consider your greatest achievement and why?

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Tell me about a time that you've worked in a high stress situation.

Please give me an example of a project that you've on from beginning to end?

Make sure you prepare for this interview by doing your research and practicing your interview techniques. Feeling a little rusty? Use our Skype-based mock interviews to get your skills on target.

BBC Presentation

As part of the interview, you may be given a problem to which you must find a solution. These are very varied in task and are designed to find out if what you have written and said are actually true in practice in this presentation of your skills. You shouldn't view this as a test but rather an opportunity to show how good you are at any particular task. Review your CV and the competencies beforehand to help refresh your ideas and get some tips from our dedicated presentation page.

BBC Group Exercise

In this exercise you are grouped together with about 10 other candidates. You are given a brief which describes an issue and you have about an hour and a half to come up with a solution with your group.The group exercise is targeted towards the department you are applying to. For example, you might get given a task where you are asked to choose locations for a new travel series and you have to work out a budget as well as the target audience and programme structure. In this task there are 4 assessors looking on and taking notes all the while. It is very important to be forthright in your ideas but not overly so as to ignore everyone else. The BBC is looking for your ability to work together towards a common goal. Make sure that what you do in this exercise doesn't contradict what you said in the interview. Learn to show off your strengths at this stage with our group exercise practice pack.

Verification of Online Aptitude Test

In order to verify the results you received on your online aptitude tests, you may also be given another test at the assessment centre. This is done on paper and can be more difficult than the online tests. Don’t forget to refresh your memory of these tests ahead of your assessment centre to ensure you get consistent results.

In Summary

The BBC is an exciting place to work and has many different positions for you to choose from. With good preparation, skills, and confidence, you can be sure to come out of the recruitment process a winner. This article has detailed the key stages of the process to help you succeed and pointed you in the direction of our expert help. Good Luck!